The Consultants budget category is used for individuals who will provide advice to the project or perform specific, defined activities that do not involve design or execution of the project.
Consulting services and activities support the project but do not directly move the project toward its goals. The services of a consulting firm would also fall under this budget category. UMB faculty may not be listed as consultants. On NIH applications, unpaid consultants may be listed as "Other Significant Contributors."
Proposal
The routed proposal should include letters from each proposed consultant that indicate their intent to participate in the project, a description of the services or activities to be performed, estimate of time required, and the rate of payment, usually per hour or per day. Payment for consultant services should be comparable to the normal or customary fees charged and received by the consultant for comparable services, especially on nongovernment contracts and grants. Check sponsor proposal instructions for any required limit on the rate of payment.
In the budget justification, provide the consultant's name, institution, and an explanation of the area of expertise the consultant will provide to the project. If a consulting fee is to be paid, explain how it was calculated (for example, $X/day multiplied by # of days). The rate may be calculated on an hourly or daily basis or may be based on completion of a task or milestone. Obtain a letter from each consultant indicating their willingness to act as a consultant to the project.
Agreement
Consulting agreements are issued by Strategic Sourcing and Acquisition Services (SSAS). Submit the requisition to SSAS and have the signed agreement in place before a consultant begins work on the project. The consulting agreement should incorporate a clear description of the activities, services, reports, and deliverables to be provided.
Who is the consultant?
- Are they already a UMB vendor? If not, provide details for set-up.
- An agreement cannot be made with a State of Maryland employee or a State of Maryland retiree within 45 days after their retirement date.
Scope of work considerations
- What is to be done by the consultant?
- What are the deliverables? (Reports, data, training, etc.)
- What are the deadlines or milestone dates?
- Who is the consultant's main contact at UMB?
- Add other details that may affect project acceptability and completion
Payment considerations
- Not to exceed total that consultant will be paid
- Frequency of payments (monthly, quarterly, etc)
- Calculation of payments (rate) or single payment on completion or progress/milestone payments (provide detail)